Open Letter To Tun Dr. Mahathir By Faekah
The statement issued by former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed in Klang recently, I think, has crossed the line and is more of a liability to the 1Malaysia slogan which is being carried by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Dr Mahathir claimed that the future and privileges of the Malay community, as well as the purity of Islam will be threatened if Pakatan Rakyat remains in power in Selangor.
His statement shows that he has been long left behind in the country’s political development.
Dr Mahathir is still singing old songs; songs of racism and those that scare the Malay community, as well as to refresh ethnic clashes after the seeds of hatred on race and people of other religious affiliations which he planted among the people in his 22-year reign.
Dr Mahathir should be aware that when he expresses words of insult on Islam, he was in the Royal Town of Klang, the town of the Selangor Sultanate pride.
The Pakatan Rakyat administration has handed over Islamic religious affairs to the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) and to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) without political interference.
Indeed, the head of Islam in this state is His Royal Highness (DYMM) the Sultan of Selangor and he safeguards the sanctity of Islam and is always defending the interests of the Muslims.
The state government agrees, obeys and respects whatever decision the Sultan of Selangor makes in regards to the purity and development of Islam. How then is it possible that the sanctity of Islam can be threatened under the administration of Pakatan Rakyat. Dr Mahathir’s accusations is extreme outspokenness, that even insults the Religious and Royal Institutions of this state.
In Selangor, JAIS has been given the highest allocation in the State Budget; exceeding RM130 million a year. In terms of development, we have spent more than RM405 million to build mosques and religious schools, and more than RM46 million to restore mosques and religious schools throughout the period of 2008-2012.
We have also increased the allowances of KAFA School teachers from RM400 during the administration of Dr Mahathir to RM1300 today.The recognition which we have given is one of the ways we increase religious knowledge among Malay-Muslim students as human capital investment.
Instead, during the administration of Dr Mahathir, the People’s Religious Schools and Tahfiz Schools were often threatened with dissolution. Various superficial reasons were given by Dr Mahathir.
There have also been a lot of derogatory statements which he issued then, among them were; Malay children who were in morning sessions at national schools and who go to religious schools in the afternoons will be tired and weak in their studies.Seeing that there are not many benefits to attending religious schools in the afternoon, just memorise prayers of grace and for going to the toilet alone.
For Dr Mahathir, the practice of staying up late to perform Qiamullail only makes Malay children lack sleep thus weakening their brain cells, making them slow and left behind in their studies.
The people in this state has yet to forget the insult and if it is necessary to state one by one, the way Dr Mahathir has treated Islam as well as the insults against Muslims, we ourselves will feel embarrassed by the non-Malays and the non-Muslims because there are those among us who has such an ugly attitude. Suddenly today, Dr Mahathir is trying to be a champion of religion.
It is true what a famous Ulama in this said, that a person who is called ‘Ex’ means that their words and their views are no longer relevant. Do not turn to look, just let them yell without paying heed..
This is very appropriate with Dr Mahathir’s current situation. It seems like he is still having illusions and experiencing denial symptoms that he has been a ‘former’ for nearly 10 years.
Dr Mahathir also made evil allegations that the fate of the Malay community might be compromised if the opposition rules Selangor. Mahathir needs to know that Umno is the opposition in Selangor; unhesitantly issuing words and slips of the tongue is indeed the nature of a 10-year former who fails to accept the fact that power is not his anymore.
We do not deny that Dr Mahathir continued the New Economic Policy (NEP) with its original mission to help the Malay community. Unfortunately, it is clear that the policy failed in its implementation because of unfair distribution of wealth and because it was not transparent.
Cronyism; enriching those with connections have become widespread and is made ‘halal’ on the basis of safeguarding the interests of the Malay community. The 30 percent target for Malay equity was not met because of abuse of power and corruption practised.
Only a handful of Malays who have contact with Umno leaders enjoy the privileges while the majority of the Malay community are left behind and remains in their old position.
To Dr Mahathir, Malays mean Halim Saad, Tajudin Ramli, Syed Mokhtar and a handful of other names including Mokhzani and Mukhriz Mahathir. Does Dr Mahathir mean that safeguarding the interests of the Malays is to protect the interest of the handful of names above?
It is not our policy to expose what Umno has done during their rule in Selangor. We note that because of their gluttony, they robbed the state revenue and thus they were punished in 2008.
However, Dr Mahathir’s extreme accusations have made me excited to reveal some of what is said to be ‘safeguarding Malay interests’. Through random checks, we have found hundreds of acres of land owned by Umno Selangor on the basis of Malays and Bumiputera.
When this was revealed recently at the Selangor State Assembly, they arrogantly asked what was wrong with taking the people’s land because they claim that it was them who developed this state!!
Hundreds of acres of land were acquired by only paying the bare minimum premium of RM100 for every acre. Most of the land has now been developed and sold for hundreds of millions to private companies that are not owned by the Bumiputera community.
I do not mean to question the ownership of land by non-Bumiputeras but the hypocritical attitude of Umno which is so insufferable. Strangely, when selling the property to private companies at a massive profit, they do not cheer ‘Long Live Malays’!!
Why did Dr Mahathir not prevent these Umno leaders from forfeiting the land of these Malays to non-Malays? Where has the proclaimed sovereignty, dignity and self-worth of Malays gone?
We also found that during the reign of Umno in Selangor, thousands of acres of Malay Reserve Land located in the city were pulled out and turned into freehold. The land was then replaced by land in the outskirts of villages such as Panchang Bedena, Sabak Bernam and in Hulu Selangor.
Therefore Malay Reserve Land is located far from the city because to Umno, Malays should live deep in villages.
Because of that too, when the Pakatan Rakyat government endeavoured to increase the standard of living of the Malay community by giving the opportunity to own world-class assets such as the Datum Jelatek development, Umno vociferously objected to the development. Umno wants Malays to remain trading at stalls with the mentality of stall owners.
Dr Mahathir also is the person responsible for introducing the concept of privatisation in this country.Just like DEB, privatisation also has noble aims however the flawed execution and errant ways have become a burden to the people, but heaven to cronies and Umno leaders.
The closest example for Selangor is the privatisation of the water concessions. Although lacking in expertise and financial capability, but because he is the Treasurer of Umno Selangor, a Malay, thus the water industry concession which is worth billions of ringgit was given to him.
He finally enjoyed extreme wealth on the misery of the people who have to bear the water bill which does not correspond with the services rendered. Not one word was heard from Dr Mahathir when the people of Selangor fought to defend their water rights. Dr Mahathir pretended to live in a different world.
Where was Dr Mahathir’s voice when we discovered Umno’s betrayal when they gave thousands of acres of land and hundreds of millions of ringgits in contracts to Tan Sri Chan Ah Chai through the Talam Group of Companies? Why was Mahathir quiet when we revealed that Talam owed RM392 million to the people of Selangor for almost a decade, which was failed to be claimed by Umno?
Does Dr Mahathir know that Pakatan Rakyat has the political power to collect these debts? Has Dr Mahathir realised that Pakatan Rakyat has returned the RM390 million to the poor people in this state, most of whom are Malays?
We cannot fathom how he could accuse Pakatan Rakyat of destroying the Malay community unless we accept the fact that age has weakened his power of thought.
Earlier I tried to not remind of the damage done by Dr Mahathir to most of the important institutions in the country, which for 22 years, was under his rule.
The police, the Judiciary, Public Service, all have chaotic and have lost their integrity.But seeing that he is excited about playing the ‘de facto’ Prime Minister maybe because the current Prime Minister is so weak and has failed, therefore the people, especially the Malays who ‘easily forget’ should be reminded that a person named Mahathir who caused chaos to the Malay union, especially during the dark incident of the 1988 Judicial Body and the ‘Mata Lebam’ (Bruised Eye) incident in 1998.
This has yet to touch on how Malaysia lost billions of ringgit in the currency game by his confidant who i currently the Deputy Minister of Finance.
The exposure of (the late) Barry Wain in his book stating that during the administration of Dr Mahathir, Malaysia lost at least RM100 billion because of corruption and abuse of power, has still yet to be answered by him till this day.
The latest serious issue is when the investigation of the Royal Commission of Sabah Citizenship revealed Dr Mahathir’s direct involvement in selling citizenship to foreigners (who were certainly not Malay) merely to stay in power.
Without shame or regret towards the people of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir admitted to it and was even willing to drag the late Tunku Abdul Rahman into the issue.
It feel as though there are no suitable or worthy words that can be said about the man named Mahathir when we reflect on all the damage he had done. Far deep in my heart I think that surely Dr Mahathir is grateful that the Internal Security Act (ISA) has been abolished in this country.Sometimes I think, would it be best if it were the opposite..!!!
FAEKAH HUSIN
SECRETARY OF POLITICS
TO THE HONOURABLE CHIEF MINISTER OF SELANGOR